Vaporesso Gen S 220W Starter Kit – Full Review!

The Vaporesso Gen S 220W Starter Kit in this review was provided by our friends over at Vaporesso (thank you!). Feel free to refer to their site if you would like additional info on this device or any of their other products.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Shane, and I am a vapoholic.  Everyone in unison, “Hi Shane.”  It is not the physical act of vaping that has gotten out of hand.  Vaping has improved my quality of life and the quality of the air the people around me are breathing.  The problem is I have very little self-control when it comes to buying vaping products and gear.  Whether it is the newest and greatest mod on the market or an old classic that has slipped past my radar.  I get the item stuck in my head and I can’t shake it.  I love vaping and gadgets and that’s a combination that doesn’t lend itself to conservatism.

Sometimes a mod comes on the market that immediately grabs my attention.  I watch and read all the positive reviews.  It checks off all the boxes.  I hear nothing but good things about it.  Somehow though, it never ends up in my mailbox.  There’s no reason this happens.  In hindsight, nothing that I have purchased in its stead is better or as good.  It just gets bumped, to no fault of the product.  One day it ends up as a classic, but it never gets pulled from the list.

This is what happened with the Vaporesso Gen Mod.  It looked beautiful, it was a dual 18650 device with plenty of power, and from everything I heard, it felt amazing in the hand.  The device is still on my list.  Fortunately for me, I suckered Jeremy into letting me do some reviewing for him and VapeDeals!  Behold!, I get to review the follow-up, the Vaporesso Gen S Kit.  The second generation to the original Gen Mod.  Sometimes it pays to wait!  Let’s open her up and see what’s inside:

Starter Kit Contents:

• Vaporesso Gen S Box Mod
• Vaporesso NRG-S Tank (8ml bubble glass capacity)
• GT Meshed Coil (0.18Ω, 50-85 watts, pre-installed)
• GT4 Meshed Coil (0.15Ω, 50-75 watts, included)
• Spare Straight Glass (5ml capacity)
• 4 x O-rings
• Micro USB Charging Cable
• User Manual
• Warranty Card

Vaporesso Gen S Box Mod Specs

• Dimensions: 93.5 x 53 x 27mm
• Net Weight: 107g
• Output Wattage: 5-220W
• Atomizer Resistance Range: 0.03 – 5.0Ω
• Uses Dual High Amp 18650 Batteries (not included)
• Charging Current: 2.5A
• Display: 0.91” OLED Screen
• Thread Compatibility: 510
• Rubberized Coating
• Vaporesso Axon Chip
• Working Modes: Pulse Mode, Power ECO Mode, Smart TC, and DIY Mode
• Colorways: Lime Green, Cherry Pink, Matte Gray, Midnight Blue, Rose Gold, Silver, Black, Gold, Black Red, Black Blue, Black Green, Black Purple

 

Out of the Box

Since I dragged my feet for so long, and now have zero experience with the Vaporesso Gen Mod, I will be approaching this review as someone who came to this series of mods at the release of the second Generation.  I was told the two major differences between the original and the Gen S are improved flavor from the tank and more color options.  If you are familiar with the first Gen mod, perhaps you’ll be able to glean some more differences from my descriptions of the latest offering.

The Vaporesso Gen S Kit is packaged in a box matching the color of the mod.  Lifting the cover reveals the beautiful, and in my case, Lime Green Gen S Mod, and as it fades to the top, turning into a teal, perfectly matching the Vaporesso NRG-S tank that rests above it. Tucked under the mod and tank in a sleeve is the spare glass, charging cable, spare coil, manual, and warranty card.  As I have mentioned in previous reviews, I appreciate the spare glass.  It doesn’t seem like that big of a deal until you need one.  It’s like a woman that doesn’t forgive you for saying something stupid.  The relationship is over as soon as you make that first mistake.  I’m going to say something stupid just as sure as I’m going to drop that tank.

To complete the Vaporesso Gen S Starter Kit, you’ll need two high-drain 18560 batteries and some e-liquid. (The last couple of reviews I’ve been trying hard to call it liquid and not juice.  Does it make me sound more professional?  No?)  Outside of that, Vaporesso has provided you with everything you need.

 

The Vaporesso NRG-S Tank

The last time we talked about the NRG, we discussed the possibility of it being an acronym.  Suggestions about what it means came flooding in (0 and counting), and I still don’t have a definitive answer.  Well, we don’t need it.  We have moved on to the NRG-S.  They seem to be pretty much the same except for one of the included coils, which I will discuss below.  First, let’s fill it up:

[Top Fill System]

The method of filling is the same.  On the top section is a small white arrow that indicates the direction to push the top cap.  The top cap then slides to the side, allowing access to the fill port.  The fill port is lined with a rubber grommet that prevents spilling and also helps seal up the tank when the top cap is returned to the vaping position.

When I first reviewed the NRG, I mentioned a top cap that is seemingly unnecessary and a bit awkward.  Well, I was wrong.  This reverse threaded cap allows for access to that rubber grommet at the fill port.  I would assume, over time and countless openings and closings, this rubber piece will wear out.  That is why the good people at Vaporesso supplied us with a spare grommet.  Somehow I missed seeing this in the included spares baggy supplied with the NRG.  Never the less, be careful when screwing the tank to the mod because it is easy to unscrew this top cap while doing so.

[The Coils]

The Vaporesso NRG-S comes with the GT Meshed coil pre-installed.  This is a 0.18Ω coil that did not come with the NRG I reviewed with the Swag II.  It’s a wide bore mesh coil that is rated for 50-85 watts.  I found the sweet spot for me to be right at 70 watts.  I very much enjoyed this coil.  The flavor was outstanding and the vapor production just turned my city work truck into a fog machine.  Probably not the best look for a city employee, but it’s not like they could identify me through the massive clouds.  If a complaint comes in about a city truck billowing tobacco/bourbon scented fog, they better have my truck number because otherwise, it ain’t me babe.

The spare coil issued with the kit is the GT4 meshed coil.  This coil comes in at 0.15Ω and is rated for 50-70 watts.  It is the dual meshed coils with smaller inner bores.  Although it was my preferred coil for the previous NRG and the Swag II, it wasn’t my pick of the two this go around.  With the Vaporesso Gen S Kit, it wasn’t a pleasant vape anywhere above 50 watts.  It is odd because, on the Swag II, I was enjoying it at 65 watts.  That’s the thing with pre-made sub-ohm coils.  Sometimes a lemon gets through.  I imagine it’s hard to QC thousands of little coils and maintain a 100% quality rate.  The GT4, although satisfactory at 50 watts, missed the mark this time.

[A Gift from the Vape Gods]

Along with the two coils that the Gen S kit comes with, Vaporesso generously sent the GT 8 Core coils.  These have a resistance of 0.15Ω and are rated for 50-110 watts.  It is a quad-core coil and the sticker says Clapton, though to the naked eye it looks to be single round wire coils.  This is a punchy little coil with good flavor and a bit of a throat hit!  If you’re looking to broaden your experience via a coil, I suggest picking up a pack of these as well.

Overall, the NRG-S is perhaps a slight improvement over the original NRG.  It is a bit larger with some additional knurling at the top cap.  The flavor is improved with the GT Meshed coil and the GT 8 Core coil.  It also comes in many more color options to match your Vaporesso Gen S Mod.

 

The Vaporesso Gen S Box Mod

I was a bit concerned when I heard the color I was going to be receiving was Lime Green.  I was hoping for Matte Grey.  You know, something manly!  I was wrong again!  This color is beautiful!  I hope the pictures that I took do it justice.  Along with the rubberized coating, the look and feel of this mod are top-notch.  The color is something you won’t see anywhere else, and as minor of a detail that it is, the copper firing button is the icing on the cake.

The mod is slightly rounded towards the outer edges and it fits perfectly in my hands.  Either a thumb or index finger fire feels natural.  Even though it is powered by dual 18650 batteries, the mod is light.  I spent many hours with it riding in my front shirt pocket and pants pocket.  It isn’t like you don’t know it’s there, but it isn’t awkward or uncomfortable.  It is easy on the eyes, easy to hold, and easy to use!

[The Axon Chip]

The display is of a good size.  Everything is clear and easy to read.  All the information you need is readily available.  Battery percentage, resistance, puff timer, watts, and mode are all cleanly organized on the display.  Scrolling through the options offers you Pulse Mode, Power ECO, Smart TC, and DIY Mode.  The Axon Chip fires quickly and I have found, for my taste, that the Pulse Mode delivers an exceptional vape.

[Charging the Mod]

Are we still living in the days of telling everyone to NEVER charge your batteries with the included charging cable?  I agree, it’s not the quickest way to go about it, but I would think, in 2020, the vape industry has made it possible to do so without damaging the chipset.  I use the included charging cable a lot.  The Vaporesso Gen S Mod Kit was no exception.  The charging was fairly quick for having two batteries to take care of, but what I appreciate is that it displays the percentage and time remaining until fully charged.  Maybe a USB Type-C would have made for a better charging, but when you’re in a vaping pickle, the Gen S charges just fine via the cable.

Pros:

• Beautiful appearance
• Axon Chip performs great
• Rubberized coating is very comfortable
• Lightweight
• The NRG-S couples nicely with the mod
• Lots of colors to choose from
• Cable charging is convenient
• Lots of power to spare

Cons:

• The GT4 Meshed Coil might have been defective
• No USB Type-C Port

 

Vaporesso Gen S Kit – Final Thoughts

As you can see, there is very little to complain about with the Vaporesso Gen S Kit.  It is a solid piece of hardware.  I am a bit disappointed in myself that I never picked up the original Gen.  If it is half as good as this one, I have been wasting a lot of time vaping inferior products.  I struggled to come up with my shortlist of cons.  This is the third piece of kit that I have reviewed from Vaporesso and they have continually met and exceeded every expectation I have.

I am a vapoholic and I’m okay with that.  I could easily justify picking up the next Vaporesso product, whatever it might be.  It’s hard to build trust in products these days.  I can count on one hand the number of companies whose products I can trust to deliver.  Vaporesso is one of them.

Shane

Shane is a former smoker turned vaper, and now a hobbyist in financial turmoil. His get rich slow scheme involves sharing his opinions, educated or not, on anything vape related.  But first and foremost, his belief is vaping will save your life.  Shane is an outdoor government employee and fully expects the crackdown to begin with him, since he vapes freely and openly, albeit politely, and often uses city property for the backdrop of his vape photos. In his free time, he enjoys stressing about being more productive and regretting every terrible decision he has ever made. He feels switching to vaping is one of the best decisions he’s ever made.